05 February 2011

Brooklyn's Markowitz Mocks Bicycles

Caroline Samponaro from Transportation Alternatives in New York sent this message via Facebook regarding comments that Brooklyn's Borough President Markowitz gave at his State of the Borough Address. I'll just let her do the talking:

"Borough President Markowitz made a mockery of street safety last night at his State of the Borough Address. Contact him today to let him know his lack of leadership on this issue is unacceptable. Let him know that playing politics with safety is not OK with the Brooklyn-ites who put him in office.

Email Marty today and cc your elected official and ask him to explain his lack of leadership: askmarty@brooklynbp.nyc.gov

In recent months the Borough President has consistently dismissed the facts on how bike lanes and pedestrians street safety investments are reducing crashes for all street users and eliminating speeding-a leading killer on our streets.

The day before his State of the Borough address, the moment when he speaks to his constituents about how he plans to work on their behalf in the year ahead, safe streets advocates and families of cyclists and pedestrians killed or injured by cars in Brooklyn asked Marty to speak up for street safety. We asked him to let us know how he would work for safer streets in 2011 to prevent needless crashes and loss of life in Brooklyn. See the summary of this request here.

Not only did he not speak for safer streets at the State of the Borough Address, he mocked it. His response to a request to get serious about street safety was to further politicize a basic right that all New Yorkers share: safe passage on our public right of ways--our streets. Read more here.

2011 State of the Borough Address - As prepared for Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz - February 3, 2011

[Borough President rides in on bike lane]

Welcome to beautiful Sunset Park, Brooklyn, USA, and the 2011 State of the Borough address!

As you can see, I’ve taken advantage of the Department of Transportation’s newest bike lane. Of course, I can tell it’s still under construction, because the D.O.T. hasn’t yet removed all the seats in the auditorium to make room for it!

TRANSPORTATION

As I’m sure you noticed, I made my entrance tonight on what I like to my senior cycle, so I hope you understand that I am not against bicycles. I’m not even against bike lanes. I’ve supported their creation around Brooklyn, including 9th street near Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Greenway that runs from Greenpoint to Sunset Park.

But for the majority of New Yorkers, it is simply not feasible to make bicycles their primary mode of transport, and unfortunately that’s the direction I believe the City’s policy is heading. They are trying to stigmatize car owners and get them to abandon their cars, when the fact is, even many bicyclists also own cars!

Cycling is no substitute for mass transit, and there are still tens of thousands of Brooklynites who live far from public transportation and who rely on a car to reach their jobs and live their lives. But of course, we must have a comprehensive plan that insures the safety of drivers, walkers and cyclists. And we should all remember to show respect to one another—drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, everybody who uses our streets. I have been a vocal critic of the Prospect Park West bike lane because I think it is a perfect example of how not to install a bike lane. It has disrupted the aesthetics of one of Brooklyn’s most beautiful thoroughfares and made it more dangerous to cross the street safely, especially for seniors, young children and parents with strollers.

Did he really say that?"Cycling is no substitute for mass transit...""But for the majority of New Yorkers, it is simply not feasible to make bicycles their primary mode of transport..."

Kilometres cycled by Copenhageners so far today

Copenhagenize.com is the blog of Copenhagenize Design Company. Online since 2007 and highlighting the cycling life in Copenhagen and around the world.

40 years ago Copenhagen was just as car-clogged as anywhere else but now 41% of the population arriving at work or education do so on bicycles, from all over the Metro area. 56% of Copenhageners themselves use bicycles each day. They all use over 1000 km of bicycle lanes in Greater Copenhagen for their journeys. Copenhagenizing is possible anywhere.